WASHINGTON (AP) — A presidential proclamation has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at the Supreme Court, the White House and elsewhere in honor of the late Justice Antonin Scalia. As the flags have risen, so has the political heat over the vacancy on the nine-member court. At issue is the right of Democratic…

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — University of Missouri officials say they’re looking into whether a graduate student employee union would be legal. Interim President Mike Middleton said in a release Wednesday that the university is seeking to determine if it’s legal for graduate students to organize. He says there’s no legal precedent in current Missouri law.…

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis wants to win a $50 million challenge aimed at improving transportation. The city has submitted an application to a U.S. Department of Transportation challenge. The department is offering up to $40 million to implement new ideas to make transportation “safer, easier, and more reliable.” The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports…